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My Gen X Playlist: Elderly Woman Behind a Counter In a Small Town – Pearl Jam

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I went away for college and ended up staying away after graduation. After 30 years, I returned to the city I grew up in. Moving back made me think how people fell into one of three buckets. Those that left, those that stayed and those that left and eventually found their way home. That’s me in bucket number three. I assumed I’d eventually run into a few high school classmates around town. I’ve been back for four years now and haven’t run into a single one. This doesn’t have the makings of a John Hughe’s 80’s film. I’m sure I’ll eventually bump into an old classmate at some point. Let’s just see how the rest of the movie plays out.

Pearl Jam was such a cool band when they first came out in the 90’s. I didn’t know what grunge was at the time, I just knew that I liked it. On their second album, nine out of eleven songs had one world titles. Elderly Woman Behind a Counter In a Small Town went a little overboard to balance them out. I always thought it was an odd title for a song. After I discovered the meaning behind the lyrics, it all made sense.

In the Pearl Jam biography by Mick Wall, Vedder said of this song: “It’s kind of about a lady, and she’s getting on in years, and she’s stuck in this small town. Small towns fascinate me: You either struggle like hell to get out, to some people want to stay ’cause then they’re the big fish in the small pond, and then others just kind of get stuck there. So here she is working in this little place, and then an old flame comes in, and he’s probably driving a nice car and looking kind of sharp – not a fancy car, but he’s moved on. And then she sees him, and at first she doesn’t even remember who he is, and then she realizes who it is. She’s just too embarrassed to say ‘hello.'”

Songfacts

Well, Vedder’s three buckets are a different shade than mine. I’ll be honest, his buckets are a little bit of a downer. But hey, the guy spearheaded the grunge era. I guess I wouldn’t expect anything less.

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For a complete playlist, please click here.

For the Spotify playlist, please click here.

I seem to recognize your face
Haunting, familiar yet
I can't seem to place it
Cannot find the candle of thought to light your name
Lifetimes are catching up with me

All these changes taking place
I wish I'd seen the place
But no one's ever taken me

Hearts and thoughts they fade, fade away
Hearts and thoughts they fade, fade away

I swear, I recognize your breath
Memories like fingerprints are slowly raising
Me, you wouldn't recall for I'm not my former
It's hard when you're stuck upon the shelf

I changed by not changing at all
Small town predicts my fate
Perhaps that's what no one wants to see
I just want to scream hello

My God it's been so long
Never dreamed you'd return
But now here you are and here I am

Hearts and thoughts they fade away

Hearts and thoughts they fade, fade away
Hearts and thoughts they fade, fade away
Hearts and thoughts they fade away
Hearts and thoughts they fade, fade away
Hearts and thoughts they fade, fade away
Hearts and thoughts they fade, fade away
Hearts and thoughts they fade

20 thoughts on “My Gen X Playlist: Elderly Woman Behind a Counter In a Small Town – Pearl Jam”

  2. This song has been coming up in my playlist a LOT lately. I have two live concerts by Pearl Jam, one from Oct 22 2000 (ten year anniversary show in Vegas) and a new one I found on Nugs.net from October 9 2014, the Nebraska show. I got that one because I really wanted Pearl Jam’s cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “Open All Night” and that’s the only way to get it I could find. Both concerts are phenomenal and both include this song. I like it. It reminds me of my own small town. My father was the last member of our family still living there. Now he’s passed, and we’ve sold his house (using the funds to pay off our own house today, in fact, so that’s pretty cool, but I’ll always miss Gladstone, Oregon.)

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    1. I’m a big fan of obscure cover versions of songs. That’s a great nugget to find. Sounds like your father is still looking after you even after his passing. It’s nice to think he helped pay off your house. That’s what dads do – take care of us kids.

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  3. I do not miss my small town back home. However, since I moving to the US (15 years so far), I have created cherished memories. I have a small town here that I enjoy, so I guess I feel fulfilled. 😊
    Nice song! It reminded me of a fond memory.

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  5. I stayed despite a couple of opportunities in my 20s and 30s I’m glad I didn’t take, in retrospect. Great song choice… I was hearing a bit of a Beatles “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away” vibe in the melody.

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  6. I live two towns over from the one I grew up in, so it’s not all that unusual for me to run into someone I went to high school with. If we make the connection, it’s usually based on one of us mentioning our hometown’s NAME. Our faces have changed too much at this point!

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  7. Pearl Jam really brings me back. Wow. I’m someone who stayed in the town they grew up in, but have moved around a bit. Florida has become so over-populated as a whole, that it’s pretty easy not to run into anyone. I hate to say it, but I’ll probably leave at some point, seeking a more calm, mild, slower paced (not overcrowded or HOT) destination.

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